FAQS

Where can I buy Blackdog Treats & Blackcat Treats?

Blackdog products can be found at all good pet specialty stores around Australia.

Head over to our ‘Where to Buy’ page to find your nearest retailer, but keep in mind, not every shop carries our full range,
so be sure to contact them before heading in to make sure they have what you need. If they don’t, it can always be ordered for you and it should arrive,
ready to collect within 3 days.

Where are Blackdog products made?

Blackdog are a proud Australian based manufacturer that produces approximately 90% of the products we supply, from Australian sourced ingredients and produce,
in our two Victorian located facilities. In fact, we are extremely proud that we are one of the few companies that actually manufacture their own products
to supply direct to your local store, let alone do it in Australia.

Due to the demand of Australia’s marketplace, Blackdog also has contract manufacturing agreements with some long term partners overseas, in order to meet
the demand required for certain products, just can’t be made here in Australia, however we do ensure that we provide our loyal and important customers
with the choice and ability to purchase a comparable product produced locally.

Any products with the Blackdog brand that are manufactured overseas are of the best quality available and are subject to Australian Quarantine and Bio
Security permits and Veterinary Certificates, so you can be sure they are of the usual high Blackdog standard.

I accidentally drank some of Barkly’s Pets Own Milk, will I start chasing the postman now?

Pets Own Lactose Free Milk is completely safe for humans to drink… in fact, here at HQ, we’ve all tried it. Now we love belly scratches as much
as anyone, but not any more than we did beforehand. If you do accidentally try it, you will notice it is a little sweeter than normal milk with a ‘nutty'
flavour. This is because it is lactose free, as Barkly’s stomach can’t tolerant lactose and it gives him the runs, so we had to take it out to save
you the clean-up. Don’t worry though, we have packed it with loads of better stuff, like special oils, vitamins & minerals and things that’ll be
more beneficial to his health.

Can I buy Direct from Blackdog?

The short answer is no.

At Blackdog, we concentrate on doing what we do best, and that is providing the best made quality, unprocessed, functional and healthy treats available,
to provide full tummies and countless handshake tricks.

We love working with our partnered retailers and shop owners, to spread the good word and get our fantastic products in the hand and paws of those we love…
and because these guys are great people who love pets as much as us, we don’t want to compete against them.

After all… nobody likes a double dipper do they?

What's the difference between cooked and dried products?

The old adage to never give a dog a cooked bone, is exactly that, old. Well, to a certain extent.

At Blackdog we don’t ‘cook’ our products like you would for a Sunday roast, then toss the bone to Buster waiting eagerly for anything he can munch
to a million pieces.

Blasting the bones with excessive heat for short periods of time makes the bone brittle and subject to splintering. Instead, we dry or dehydrate our
bones at varying low temperatures, for anything up to 30 hours depending on the variety. This draws the moisture from the product allowing it to
be shelf stable for a long time in your pantry, without going rancid or stinky and allows Buster to get a great teeth clean and chew on all the
good stuff.

We do, of course, always recommend feeding treats under supervision, and common sense should also apply to the size of bone you give your pooch.

A small Lamb Bone is a little less suitable for a Rottweiler, than a big burly Beef Bone!

Are Blackdog seafood products ethically sourced?

Blackdog Seafood products are naturally fished from designated government approved areas and are not caught specifically to make our products. We source
left over produce or bi- product that would otherwise be thrown away if we did not utilise it to make healthy treats for our furry family members.

While we always strive to provide the best quality and healthy products we can, we are environmentally conscious and big believers in sustainability.

Why choose Blackdog over other brands?

We have been around the Pet industry for a very long time here at Blackdog. Well, not all of us, but most of us. Before we came about to revolutionize
the way treats were sold in pet specialty stores in Australia, our parent company was making top quality healthy pet products for the grocery industry…
and they still are.

When our doors opened and all this know how was transferred to Blackdog, we changed the game in pet shops with regard to how healthy treats were packed,
branded and merchandised,and we opened up a whole new sector of interest with regard to what a good functional, healthy treat should look like, and
better yet, taste like.

Since then, and unlike some other brands, we are just one of the few who continue to manufacture our own product, which is why we can continue to lead
the way in health, innovation and research into what we can provide your furry family, for their happiness and health….. so there will always
be something new from Blackdog to keep an eye out for.

Are Blackdog products all natural?

The majority of Blackdog products are all natural, with no additives, artificial flavours or colours, or any hidden surprises. We like to say “straight
from farm to shelf”.

Of the lines that are not single ingredient, we try to only use additions that are naturally occurring in the environment.

There are also some ingredients we need to use to get our great products made in the form they are, such as using a little bit of flour in our sticks and
jerky straps to hold all of the meat and good stuff together. These few are not 100% all natural, however in the few lines these appear in, you will
clearly see them listed in the ingredients table located on every pack.

Of course, you can rest assured, we don’t put any nasties in our products, and love pets as much as you do, so we strive to produce the best tasting, healthiest
and more importantly, functional treats we can.

Why should we supervise our pets when treating?

Well, in a lot of ways, our pets are like a newborn baby or a young child. They are members of the family, but we don’t always know what they are going
to do, despite how high our voice goes when we talk to them. So just in case a hungry hound bites off more than they can chew, we think it’s a good
idea to be around if it happens.

I read that certain products are harmful to dogs, like garlic, so why do you use them?

We love pets, plain and simple. We would never use an ingredient that was harmful. At Blackdog we have resident Food Technologists that work in conjunction
with vets and nutritionists to develop our products and study all the latest literature, so that we are always up to date with the latest developments.

Sometimes certain ingredients get a bum rap. Garlic for instance is considered good for keeping intestinal worms and parasites at bay, as well as reducing
chances of getting fleas. So we add some in safe quantities to some products. However it is correct that too much garlic can be toxic, but so is too
much water for that matter. The amount of garlic we use is way way under any dangerous levels. So no need to worry. You are in good hands.

Why do some products state “Do not feed to Cats’?

Some years ago, over a very short period of time, cats developed a negative response to an unknown food. It was assumed to be a food reaction but was never
determined what food, although one particular imported canned food from Canada was implicated. There was a lot of negative press about it (fair enough
we say) and it was decided, without any scientific evidence or direct correlation, that as a precaution, cats should not be fed any food that had been
treated with a standard biosecurity process of irradiation (unfair we think) in case that was the cause.

Most imported and exported foodstuffs (and even some human food made and sold in this country) are irradiated to destroy dangerous or spoilage bacteria
that could harm humans or spoil the produce. It is done all over the world and many millions of dollars of research has been spent ensuring that it
is not harmful to cats, dogs or people for that matter.

As such, a precautionary ruling from Australian Quarantine has made this text a requirement on packaging of product that has had this treatment….
However as we are only selling treats, which are not the sole source of nutrition, the irradiation of our treats doesn’t present a problem to any Blackdog
products at all. All of our BlackCat cat treats are made in Australia and do not undergo irradiation treatment, so it is not an issue for these products
either.

Are Blackdog products good for my furry family?

We think so, because we think they are better than many alternative, overly manufactured treats on the market. Our treats are either single protein or
single ingredient products. When we have to add something to help achieve an end result, which we do in a few products such as our jerky straps, we
do it as minimally as possible with naturally sourced ingredients where available. We like to say ‘If a dog was living in the wild it would choose
our products because they are as close to what it would normally find out there fending for itself’